Seriously considering fortifying yourself with a little help from the home bar? These dead easy cocktails are perfect for gents on self-isolation lockdown.
We know you’re probably reading this at home, where you’re likely stuck thanks to a combination of self-isolation, work-from-home orders, and a slightly irrational fear of zombies. We get it, it’s dark times outside in the real world, and at home, you can hide, hibernate and hariolate. However, we wouldn’t suggest you do any of these without a well-made drink in your hand, you know, for medicinal fortification. Before you send your next grocery delivery request off, have a look at these dead-easy home cocktails and see which might perk you up.
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Armed with the basic building blocks, home cocktails can be easy and fun to prepare (especially if you have the right glassware too) and if you’re self-isolating with a special someone, they can help break the monotony of looking at each other over endless episodes of whatever you’re binging. Good luck!
Cape Codder
A dead-easy blend of vodka and cranberry, this drink is not only calming for the nerves but also packed with vitamin C. All you need is decent vodka (if you can’t pronounce the name you shouldn’t be buying it), good cranberry juice (don’t skimp and buy that overly sweet crap that comes in a gallon jug) and a touch of fresh lime. Try it frozen to make a Frog in a Blender (well, that’s just lovely); with pineapple to make a Bay Breeze; or with grapefruit juice to make a Sea Breeze.
Daiquiri
A timeless cocktail that will have you daydreaming of island hideaways and palm-lined beaches, it’s thought that the daiquiri was created by American mining engineer Jennings Cox while he was stationed in Cuba during the Spanish-American war.
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Although the classic daiquiri – 2oz white rum, 1oz fresh lime juice and a splash of sugar syrup (or 2 teaspoons in 30ml of hot water) shaken over ice and strained into a glass with a lime wedge – is beloved by purists, bartenders love the daiquiri because of its adaptability. You can freeze it, add different rum styles, or add fresh fruit. Add a slug of maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice and you have a Hemmingway Daiquiri, or add fruit like strawberries, lychees, passionfruit or even bananas (you need your fruit after all) and, where possible, the corresponding fruit liqueur, and the possibilities are endless.
Margarita
The same goes for the Margarita, a zesty classic invented in 1938 by Carlos “Danny” Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria, halfway between Tijuana and Rosarito, Baja California and which lends itself to all sorts of iterations. Here you’ll want to use decent tequila – for your own sake – or even a nice smoky mezcal. Add the spirit to some triple sec and some fresh lime juice and shake it over ice and strain, pour it over ice, or throw the lot into a blender and you’re good to go.
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Like the daiquiri, the beauty of the margarita is its flexibility – you can add fresh fruit, a dash of agave for sweetness, a few jalapenos for heat, or exotic salts to the rim if you’re feeling adventurous.
Bramble
Another dead easy home cocktail and one that adds element from your breakfast is the Bramble. Invented in 1984 (how fitting, right?) by Dick Bradsell, the classic version matches 2ox of London dry gin with 1oz of fresh lemon juice (again, Vit C!), half an oz of sugar syrup (or a sachet of Nutrasweet you pinched from Starbucks) with crème de mûre, a French blackberry liqueur.
Simply load the first three ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake it like it makes you money, strain over more ice in a rocks glass, and top with the blackberry liqueur. You can even garnish with a few of the real thing. You can also replace blackberry with many other fruit liqueurs or simply replace with a dollop of jam – yes, from the fridge – and double up on the gin goodness.
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Breakfast Martini
A much more contemporary but no less easy cocktail for your self-isolation session is the breakfast martini, an excellent example of how to apply your vitamin C dose with your drinking routine. Created by bartender Salvatore Calabrese, this simple martini combines marmalade with a dash of orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice. Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a suitable receptacle. If you’re more a vodka guy, you can easily swap out the gin. Finally, an excuse to use up granny’s jams.
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